Promise Me Forever
by applestooapples
Summary: Noriko's having doubts about Shimako's feelings for her-whether they're purely platonic or something more. When Shimako proves to be about as readable as a Philosophy textbook, the waiting and wondering gets to be too much for Noriko to bear. Rated T to be safe. All the usual pairings.


**Hey all, I think I should start this by saying that I HAD started this story under a previous account (iatethepoisonapple or xXLiStLesSXx, depending on when you knew me :P) but abandoned that account for personal reasons (which, if you are affiliated with such, please just do me this ONE kindness and leave me be). I want to continue this story, but obviously I want it to be all together, since I'm a bit OCD (quite literally, unfortunately, as I've just recently discovered) and it's easier for you guys, yeah? Anyway, if you like it, please do review! :)**

**I'm deleting the old prologue, because I want to focus mainly on Noriko and Shimako, and I'm tired of trying to balance everyone because unlike so many writers here, I just suck at it, and I'm tired of denying it. So if you like Noriko and Shimako, (and want to see them in a rare chapter fic) please feel free to read, and please write a review if you want it continued :)**

**By the way, thanks to all who took the time to review this story and my previous stories, for those that I didn't get around to thanking :)**

**oOOOo**

**Promise Me Forever**

**One: Jealous Games**

_**applestooapples**_

**oOOOo**

Todou Shimako was lost in her own world, staring out the window of her classroom as if the ginkgo trees would provide the answer to an unasked question, cheek cupped in her hand.

Truth be told, not much would change for her this year, so she hardly had a right to be so melancholy—at least, the rest of the second years seemed to think as much. She'd already said goodbye to her onee-sama the year before, and it wasn't as if being Rosa Gigantea would be a new and difficult task for her, both of which were trials that Yumi and Yoshino were currently facing.

She'd been through it all before—so why, then, was she feeling so out of herself?

The answer was waiting for her as soon as the bell chimed, signaling the end of class. When Shimako quietly slipped out of the classroom in a way that only she could, her heart gave a traitorous leap as she came face to face with her grinning petite soeur.

A hand instantly flew to her chest in some kind of vain attempt to stop the pounding of her heart before she could stop it, and Shimako flushed slightly. Luckily, Noriko seemed to take it as a sign of shock, and wore a sheepish expression as she looped her arm through her onee-sama's.

"Sorry, onee-sama," the dark-haired girl said, cheeks flushing slightly. "It's just that class let out early, and I wanted to wait here for you…"

Shimako's eyes widened in surprise and her cheeks flushed before she finally gave Noriko a shy smile. "You don't need to apologize, Noriko," she replied, brushing a strand of dark hair out of her petite soeur's eyes. "You just startled me, that's all." She smiled when Noriko blushed slightly, and broke her arm away from Noriko's only to wrap it around the younger girl's waist.

"Rosa Gigantea!"

Shimako paused, causing Noriko to pull to a sudden stop ahead of her, waiting for several smaller girls to catch up. As soon as she saw the younger girls, Noriko huffed and broke out of her onee-sama's grip. Shimako frowned and opened her mouth to question Noriko's actions, but the young girls started speaking before she had the chance.

"Are you planning on staying on as Rosa Gigantea for this next year as well?" a petite but loud girl questioned, looking up at Shimako with bright eyes.

Noriko rolled her eyes. "That's a ridiculous question, Megumi-san," she snapped at the girl, who glared right back.

"If it's so ridiculous, why don't _you _answer it then, Noriko-chan?" the redhead shot back over a flustered Shimako, who had found herself caught in the middle of the two hissing schoolgirls. "Or do you not know your onee-sama well enough to know the answer?"

Megumi smirked, and Noriko bristled at the accusation.

She assumed Shimako was planning on running, but she wasn't entirely sure, and therefore couldn't reply to the question. Turning back to Shimako, Noriko pleaded with her eyes and received a slight nod in response. "Of course she's planning on keeping her position," Noriko replied hotly, to which Megumi sneered and stormed off with her friends in tow.

Stomping moodily to a nearby bench, Noriko sat down, scowling at the ground with her arms folded over her chest, all thoughts of getting to the Rose Mansion having been abandoned for the time being. Several moments later, she felt Shimako's presence beside her, but refused to acknowledge her onee-sama.

"Noriko…," Shimako began, confused as to her petite soeur's behavior.

"Why do you let them fawn over you like that?" Noriko asked petulantly, saving Shimako the effort. "You know they want to be your petite soeur, right? Why else would they be so persistent? And you already have one." The dark-haired girl huffed, cheeks flushing when Shimako giggled. "What's so funny?"

The brunette smiled gently and reached over to tuck a strand of dark hair behind her sulking soeur's ear. "I'm aware that I already have a petite soeur, Noriko," she said softly, pressing a brief kiss to Noriko's crimson cheek. The younger girl blushed to the tips of her ears at this. "If anyone should be jealous, it's them."

"I- I- I'm _not _jealous!" Noriko stuttered loudly, pulling away from Shimako, face resembling Yumi's by this point.

Shimako simply accepted Noriko's denial with an enigmatic smile, standing up and holding her hand out to the younger girl. Noriko huffed and took Shimako's hand, allowing the older girl to pull her to her feet. Keeping her hold on her petite soeur's hand, Shimako led Noriko to the Rose Mansion for the day's meeting.

After the meeting, Noriko left the Mansion with Touko, having left Shimako behind to discuss the end of the year proceedings with the other Roses.

"I really can't stand that Megumi," Noriko muttered, and Touko nodded in agreement.

"She's a real brat," Touko replied, to which Noriko responded with a raised eyebrow. Touko rolled her eyes. "It's _different_. What did Megumi-san do, anyway?"

Noriko huffed in disgust. "She won't leave onee-sama alone—it's like she thinks she can be her petite soeur if she's persistent enough," she muttered, flushing, eliciting a giggle from the drill-haired girl beside her. "What? You'd be annoyed too if someone was like that with Yumi-sama!"

"Everybody's like that with onee-sama," Touko pointed out matter-of-factly, if somewhat bitterly. "I've learned to deal with it." She didn't mention that the reason she'd come to terms with all the affection Yumi was showered with was that there was a much greater rival to her disorienting feelings for her onee-sama.

"Well, I'm not just going to sit around and 'deal with it'," Noriko muttered.

"Have you talked to Shimako-sama about it?" Touko asked, jogging slightly to keep up with Noriko's heated gait.

"No," Noriko muttered, "but she guessed, you know onee-sama. She just told me that I shouldn't be jealous about it."

Touko shrugged. "Then maybe you shouldn't be," she replied. "If Shimako-sama tells you that you don't have anything to worry about, then maybe you shouldn't be worried."

Noriko sighed, deflating. "It's just irritating," she muttered. "I mean, it's not like she ever gets bothered when anyone chases _me _around-"

"Who chases _you _around?" Touko asked, a slight tremble in her voice as she tried to hold back a giggle. Noriko shot her a hard glare, and Touko grinned impishly. "Shimako-sama isn't the jealous type at all; you can't really be upset when things don't bother her as much as they bother you," she added unhelpfully.

"Sometimes I wish they would, though," Noriko replied softly. "I mean, it's not that I want her to be upset or anything, but…"

"So you'd know she cares, right?" Touko replied. "I guess I can understand that, but doesn't Shimako-sama already pay you a whole lot of attention? She's always touching you, almost as much as Sachiko-oneesama touches Yumi." Her voice turned slightly bitter at her own words.

"I know she cares about me as her _soeur_," Noriko replied. "But I want to be _more _than that." She frowned at the ground. "I don't think she sees me as anything but her little sister…"

Touko perked up, her lips quirking into her trademark mischievous smile as she darted out in front of Noriko. "Well if all you wanted to do was test the waters," she began, clutching her bookbag behind her back, "why didn't you just say so?"

Noriko eyed the smaller girl suspiciously. "Why do I suddenly feel so suspicious?" she asked dryly.

Touko huffed and rolled her eyes, turning back around to walk beside Noriko. "There's no reason to be suspicious—you want to know if she wants you, right? As more than a _sister_?" she asked, chirping out the last word as if merely to tease the taller girl.

"Well yeah…but I don't trust you, Touk0-chan," Noriko stated bluntly. "Whatever you have in mind is going to upset onee-sama-"

"And that's what you want, right?" Touko asked. "To see if she's bothered by it?"

"Not if it makes her unhappy."

"It wouldn't," Touko muttered, but, at Noriko's hard gaze, sighed loudly. "Fine, suit yourself. You know, you have a perfectly good opportunity here—your onee-sama already doesn't seem to see anyone but you. If I were the only one in my onee-sama's eyes, I guarantee you I wouldn't be moping around like you are. I'd do something about it." She hesitated, glancing up at Noriko, wh0 was staring determinedly in the opposite direction. "You know, before it's too late, and she really _does _see you as a sister. Just a stupid, naïve little sister," Touko muttered, her eyes clouding over with what might have been the beginnings of tears before she shook herself out of it and shot Noriko a too-bright smile.

Noriko frowned down at her friend, more out of concern than anything. Truth be told, she was slightly upset with how oblivious Yumi had turned out to be to Touko's growing feelings for her, and _God _help her if she _knew _and was merely ignoring them. Even Sachiko wouldn't be able to save her from Noriko's wrath if that were the case. The headstrong girl was fiercely protective of her friends, especially Touko who, beyond her bratty, spoiled demeanor, was probably the most terrified person Noriko had ever met. Terrified of being alone, terrified of being left behind, terrified of falling for someone—of _needing _someone. She sighed.

"Let me just make sure we're on the same page here—you _are _suggesting that I make onee-sama jealous somehow?" she asked, wrapping her arms around her chest as the breeze picked up.

Touko nodded, her curls bouncing. "It's not like I'm suggesting that you actually start dating someone else…just a little change. Like spending a bit more time with Asakura-sama, maybe? It's not like she doesn't want you around, and it wouldn't kill you to make another friend."

"The captain of the tennis team?" Noriko asked hesitantly. "I don't really know her that well."

"But she'd like to know _you_," Touko stated deviously. "She's had her eye on you for a while. I heard she was going to ask you to be her petite soeur until Shimako-sama made a move. She'd be more than happy to spend some 'quality' time with her favorite kouhai, I'm sure of it." The brunette punctuated the statement with a wink. "Just think about it, okay? If you really want to know if Shimako has feelings for you, you have to get her to stop thinking of you as just her little sister."

Noriko rolled her eyes and said goodbye to the girl as they parted ways at the gate, Touko climbing into her family's car as Noriko began the slow walk home. She had pretended to be above it all, and really, she wished she were, but the idea seemed all-too appealing to her, as much as she wished it didn't. And it wasn't as if spending time with Honda Asakura would be any kind of burden—from what she'd seen and heard, the older girl was actually quite the heartthrob.

She sighed and kicked a pebble across the pavement, wishing she could just read Shimako's _mind _or something, because all these feelings were getting to be very tiring indeed.


End file.
